CHICAGO — The campaign of change that led Barack Obama to the White House will bring tangible change to Illinois, where Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich has the task of selecting the junior U.S. senator's replacement.

It's a position of power that Blagojevich, whose administration has been dogged by federal investigations, seems to relish.

"I've never had more friends than I do today," Blagojevich said yesterday. "And when I make the final decision, I won't have nearly as many as I have now."

The governor could tap virtually anyone to fill the rest of Obama's six-year term that ends in January 2011 — and he made it clear he's not rushing the decision. He said he'd like to make an announcement before Christ- mas, but cautioned he didn't want to over-promise.

While the law sets no timetable, the appointment is likely to come in time for the Jan. 3 start of the 111th Congress.

Much speculation, some fueled by the interested parties themselves, has surrounded members of Illinois' congressional delegation, including Chicago Reps. Jesse Jackson Jr. and Danny Davis, and Evanston Rep. Jan Schakowsky. Jackson and Schakowsky served as national co-chairs of the Obama presidential campaign.

The three were among the people Blagojevich called "great candidates out there — this is what makes this so difficult."

Another name repeatedly brought up has been Tammy Duckworth, a disabled Iraq war veteran who lost her first political race in 2006 running for Congress in Chicago's suburbs. Duckworth, who graduated from McKinley High School in Honolulu and the University of Hawai'i, is the governor's veterans affairs director.

Blagojevich said he doesn't have a favorite candidate and that members of his senior staff would help vet those interested in the job. The only legal restrictions are that the person must be at least 30 years old, a U.S. citizen for at least nine years and an Illinois resident.